


his bumblebee

by WhimsicalMercy



Series: MCYT December except it's not festive [16]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Dad Schlatt AU, Discrimination, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Mentioned Dave | Technoblade, Mentioned TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Mentioned Wilbur Soot, Ram Tubbo, Single Parents, he tried to be a good dad :(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:06:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28188915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhimsicalMercy/pseuds/WhimsicalMercy
Summary: He did that a lot, he found, pushing more meat and veggies onto his son’s plate with a cheeky grin and an “Oh, Papa’s not hungry, bumblebee.” Even so young, Tubbo was so painfully kind. Schlatt frequently awoke with his son’s baby blanket on his chest, carefully put there by the toddler curled up at his side. The times that he accidentally dozed while watching the kid play, he usually awoke with Tubbo sitting next to him or by Tubbo dropping something and telling it to shush because he was sleeping.He’s never loved someone more in his life, it physically wasn’t possible.All Schlatt wants is the best for his son, even if it means carving his heart out with his own two hands. (Well, he doesn't do that, but the experience is similar.)
Relationships: Jschlatt & Toby Smith | Tubbo
Series: MCYT December except it's not festive [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036191
Comments: 38
Kudos: 370
Collections: Completed stories I've read





	his bumblebee

**Author's Note:**

> listen  
> I skipped another day (day 17) and I'm still two days behind. I'm sorry;-; I promise I'll catch up! Either way, this is for day 18 which had the prompt "Heartbreak". I had about 5-6 ideas for this one, some romantic and others not. One of them was in a no respawn universe based around Phil losing all his kids (Wilbur being killed by him, Tommy dying in exile, and Techno in his execution) as well as various ones about romantic heartbreak and such, but I'm on such a Dad Schlatt kick.  
> Idk where this takes place either. Some MC universe but idk if it's like... The SMP universe or whatever. Idk. Just... Sad DadSchlatt
> 
> TW: Poverty, mentions of starvation and freezing, mentions of child death, job loss, discrimination against Schlatt as a Ram hybrid.

Schlatt was well aware that he was too young and too broke to be taking care of a baby. He still tried, god he tried so hard. He stretched their meager amounts of money as thin as he could get it, using whatever coupons and promotional codes he could get. It’s not like he could get help from the government, he could barely have a job and get an apartment with his status as a hybrid. Government aid regarding children? Not happening. They didn’t want people like him having kids at all, why would they give him support? 

The first thing he learned was that baby formula was so fucking expensive. He portioned the shit as soon as he bought some, in little cups just so he knew how much he had. On the days that Tubbo didn’t want to eat, he wanted to cry. He knew it happened, he knew it was normal, but it still made him just feel bad since that one little cup of formula could’ve been saved. Wasting resources wasn’t something he could do. He kept things that he could, rarely fully replacing anything. 

He had become ecstatic when Tubbo grew out of formula. Making mushy solids was easy and could be done with stuff he personally grew. Fruits and vegetables weren’t cheap, but he had been growing them long before Tubbo had ever been born, in the backyard of his shitty townhouse. When Tubbo moved on to being able to eat proper food, he found himself breathing a little easier. At least now, if he couldn’t afford clothes for himself or dinner or new blankets for his bed, he knew he could just shove the food off of his own plate if Tubbo was hungrier than normal. He couldn’t do that with baby formula or shitty mush. 

He did that a lot, he found, pushing more meat and veggies onto his son’s plate with a cheeky grin and an “Oh, Papa’s not hungry, bumblebee.” Even so young, Tubbo was so painfully kind. Schlatt frequently awoke with his son’s baby blanket on his chest, carefully put there by the toddler curled up at his side. The times that he accidentally dozed while watching the kid play, he usually awoke with Tubbo sitting next to him or by Tubbo dropping something and telling it to shush because he was sleeping.

He’s never loved someone more in his life, it physically wasn’t possible.

Winter was always the worst. It was cold and their roof leaked and their heating system was weak. Ever since Tubbo was a baby, his room had technically been the master just because the heating was the best but even on the coldest of nights, they stayed in the living room where he could get a fire going. He never slept well those nights, terrified out of his wits that Tubbo was too cold and would wake up sick. He remembers bundling as many blankets as he could find around his son and whispering apologies that the child would never hear.

Winter also brought the holidays and he found himself working harder and eating less to be able to give Tubbo _something_ for Christmas. Usually, it’s a coloring book or cars, but one year, he got his boy a little plush bee he had been begging for. It cost him nearly a week's worth of meals, but the elated tears from his son had been worth it. He took that thing everywhere he went, it was his best friend. It warmed Schlatt’s heart to see him so happy, even if it made the guilt grow. He should be able to care for his son and give him what he deserved. Tubbo was so sweet, he deserved so much more than what his stupid, young father could give him. 

It wasn’t until Schlatt got fired from his job that he realized that taking care of Tubbo properly would be impossible. His savings had been drained and they only had food for a little bit longer. His bosses knew this, they knew he needed a job and that he worked his ass off during his hours and the hours he picked up. Yet, he was the last hybrid on the team. It didn’t matter how hard he worked, he wasn’t more than an animal to them. It made him realize he didn’t have money to feed and care for his son properly, no matter how much he loved him. The love he had for his son wouldn’t keep his stomach full or his body warm.

Nothing he could do would be enough for Tubbo to be raised comfortably, not unless there was a miracle. But the world didn’t work like that, not for people like him. The world was cruel and everything was against them. The only thing he had going for him was a name and address printed on a worn-out piece of paper, a man who had boys already and wasn’t stupidly young like he was. It hurt himself to quietly pack his son’s stuff up one night, to sling a bag over his shoulder and wrap him in every blanket in the house. Shamefully, he kept the baby blanket for himself, not willing to part with the patched fabric.

The walk was long and he kept the blankets tugged up over Tubbo’s head so he wasn’t cold. Schlatt himself was fucking freezing, thanks to not being able to afford a thicker jacket for himself this year. He said every year that he would save up and get a nice, new one to replace the old one he’s had for years, but every year, something comes up. Tubbo needs new clothes or shoes or the house needs something to be fixed. Things he never has the money for. He certainly doesn’t have the money now and he wasn’t sure if he would even have a home by the end of next week.

Tubbo would, he would be sure of it. He stood at the end of a long path for a while, staring down the worn-out dirt until he forced his feet to move. The seconds passed and he felt tears building in his eyes already, his grip subconsciously tightening on his son. He stood at the edge of a porch, biting his lip. He could leave, he could take Tubbo and run and keep them together. He nearly did, he had been so close, but he remembered their empty cabinets at home, the eviction notice on the table, the stacks upon stacks of denied job applications. Keeping Tubbo would essentially be forcing him into a life he doesn’t deserve, not a boy as good as him.

He stepped on the wood of the porch and firmly tucked his face in between where Tubbo’s little horns were growing in. He paused for a second, swallowed tightly, and raised his hand. Three knocks. He couldn’t run now. He was already here, leaving now would be a waste of his time and energy. The door swung open to reveal an older friend of his, Phil’s kind face curious as to who was ringing his doorbell. They stared at each other for a minute before realization dawned on Phil’s face. “Schlatt?” He whispered and Schlatt offered a weak smile.

“Hey.. Hey Phil…” He murmured, though Phil’s eyes weren’t trained on him. They were watching the cocoon of blankets he had. “I… I need some help, man. I..” His voice cracked and he shifted one arm to gently pull down the top of the blankets. Tubbo’s head was tucked into the crook of his neck and Tubbo’s little bee was clutched in his fist. Phil’s eyes softened and they looked up at him. 

The older man widened the door to invite him in and he simply shook his head. “Nah, I’m not... I can’t stay. But I was hoping you could… Take care of Tubbo for me.”

“What-”

Schlatt took a deep breath and everything spilled out; his inadequacy as a parent, the fact that he was terrified every day that they would starve. He hadn’t seen a doctor in so long, too scared of getting sick because he couldn’t afford to be sick. Phil just let him blabber on, even as he explained that he knew that Phil had three boys but he was hoping that maybe he could also take Tubbo in, just so the child would have somewhere warm to sleep and food to eat and even a friend since Phil’s youngest was a bit younger than Tubbo.

Phil looked distraught by the time he had finished. “Schlatt, you’re his dad. I don’t think I can-”

“Well, he’s gonna fucking starve if he stays with me. I don’t have a means of income, I’m getting evicted. Keeping him is basically signing his death warrant and I would rather him hate me for leaving him with you than letting him grow up on the brink of death.” If he could yell, he would have. But Tubbo was sleeping and he was sure Phil’s own boys had already been tucked into their beds as well. “Please, Phil….” He did actually shed tears when Phil agreed and he whispered words of love to his boy, kissing his head and reminding him that he loved him before passing him over gently. 

He forced Phil to promise him that Tubbo would never find out, that he would never know the situation his dad had been in, how broke they had been. Phil didn’t like that but promised. It broke his heart, knowing his little bumblebee would grow up without him, but he would grow up happy. That’s all Schlatt could hope for.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry, I really am out here with all this angst.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are appreciated, so please don't be shy!


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